Like our senpai, right?
by Worlds' Abyss
Summary: Ruby couldn't believe her luck; not only did she get accepted into Beacon two years early, but her team was assigned their very team of mentors who were only a few years her senior! Of course Yang had to go and make it weird when the introductions started, blabbing her big mouth; "So JNPR, you're like our senpai right... ?"
1. Chapter 1

**My very first story that I plan to be more than a few chapters long, mostly because the idea won't leave me alone and it isn't something that can be easily done in so few chapters. It's quite a simple plot in pure form; the entirety of JNPR were born four years prior to the main cast of the show, and thus are seniors to those usually their peers.**

 **This is new to me, so constructive feedback is kind of needed, as I've never really done anything over two chapters before.**

 **Honestly, no romantic pairing(s) intended at the moment; I'm not one to do romance and even if I was, I doubt this would be the kind of story to tell it. This is a fairly small AU universe, most key events will still take place, however the change of roles will mean those events will play out differently!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

The newfound presence of beaming light was that of an unwelcome sight, an irritation that formulated a groan from within the darkened realms of his cotton fortress; one that he desperately tried to shield his frail eyes from.

Similar sounds erupted from frigid dorm, some of higher intensity than their counterparts but all shared the wallowing despair they all felt upon awakening. It honestly occurred to him if he really needed to his education at the academy, a sluggish part of his mind argued he didn't. It took him longer than needed to raise from the comfort of his mattress; blonde locks even more so scraggly and eyes that demanded more rest.

The source of the pain could be accounted by a certain brunette leader only a few dorms down, who no doubt their team equipping themselves with throbbing skulls and burning throats. It was meant to only be a small celebration for their success in making it to the final year, a few drinks passed around and a movie to pass the time.

They did not account for the only ginger within his team being a light-weight.

Still, time was wearing on and he doubted Goodwitch nor Ozpin would appreciate both teams showing up a few hours past their due, the former would _personally_ make sure they did arrive within the time set.

"Rise'n shine, time to get up…~!" His own partner was the first to react, her toned body practically rolling off the shrewd bedding, eyes still in a daze and crimson hair freely flowing, she regarded him with a weak smile; sending a partially weak wave his direction to which he returned.

It took around the time for his sleep-inducted partner to waddle into the restroom for the third member of the esteemed team to rise from their slumber; Lie Ren rose from the sheets with the most elegant form of the four of them, seemingly finding no issue with the resulting throbbing and instead sent a knowing look towards the final member that had yet to rise.

"Nora, you need to get up, the Headmaster has called for us." The four years throughout Beacon had yet to change the dynamic between the duo, nor did it change the almost maternal tone he spoke with when dealing with the hyperactive woman.

"Rweeeen…~!" Said devil rolled to her side within a few seconds of silence, pleading eyes looking upon the dark-haired boy in an attempt to secure a few more minutes within the luxury of the bed. It didn't work, Ren had an iron will when it came to the childhood friend and it only took a disappointed glare to send the hammer-wielding huntress

This was his team, one that he had bonded with for three years and coming upon the fourth, a small group he could refer to as a family without hesitation; it was everything he dreamed of when he first enrolled in the academy. They were an odd bunch, one that took awhile to get used to; but he honestly wouldn't trade them for anything.

The start of the day was a routine that had been drilled into their heads since the first year, both women took their respective turns in the restroom then it was the men's' turn, in turn those not rinsing water over themselves would neatly line up each individual's uniform and weapon. It was simple but effective, it was first put into action by the hyperactive hammer wielder to lessen the time needed to wake up and get ready, meaning more slumber for everyone.

No one argued with that notion.

He took it upon himself to cleanse his slumber-ridden face with a good dosage of water when entering the rest room, removing the stained buttoned shirt he slept in in favor of going bare chested. Venture back a few years ago and he would have gagged at the scars that ran along his body, various lengths and size that ventured from the waist up.

Aura was a damn good shield, but even it couldn't heal everything. In his own humble opinion, he believed said scars made him look even more like a kick-ass hero that he once read about.

Still it was odd that they even needed to see the Headmaster today, they'd already passed the physical and theory exams needed to continue onto the fourth year; along with two other teams. It was only luck that Coco had noticed a brief message from the deputy during the previous night regarding the new seniors to report to Ozpin first thing in the morning for a small debrief.

Still, within the minute the acclaimed team strode down the currently vacant hallways, making several turns through the large academy with constant bickering in between. Nora wanted to stop for breakfast and kept nagging upon Ren, Pyrrha kept twisting with her hair every few seconds and Ren just kept sending him glances that begged him to do something.

He just continued to walk in a happy silence.

They reached their destination eventually however, the four members somewhat squished together and waited in silence as the machine sky-rocketed upwards, the cramped elevator shuddered to a stop. Upon the metallic doors opening, he couldn't quite register at the sight they were gifted with.

Goodwitch was sending a stern glare, Ozpin rested his eyes upon them with somewhat curiosity and Coco was sending a shit-eating grin his direction while dragging a finger along her throat. The reactions did cause him to raise an eyebrow, to which his fellow leader made a subtle nudge towards a rather plain clock.

They were nearly an hour late.

* * *

 **I actually wanted to write more here, however this is only the prologue and its' entire purpose was to just set up what's going on...Which it sorta' did, I just removed the second half of it as it seemed to drag on.**

 **What I will say is this however! This story will be updated at the VERY least once every two weeks. I can't keep a promise and say it'll be updated on a certain day within a week or so; meaning it could be updated two, even three times during that timeframe or it could only be updated once.**

 **This is mostly to keep myself motivated for the story and any delays will usually be told in the previous chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2

**No notes as of right now, so for now, enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

* * *

"-like our senpai, right?"

A singular brow was raised at the question; head turning to face that of a bright-haired girl that sat facing him, Yang Xiao-Long, if the brief introduction was to be believed. The entire situation still caused a small migraine to pulsate within his already timid skull; debating on whether swearing off beverage before any sort of task from the Headmaster.

Honestly, he didn't bother registering the odd glances thrown at the direction of his own team; the registered senior team sitting opposite of that of a freshly grained team of students was a sight to behold to those in slightly higher years. They had all sat in a somewhat pregnant silence, until the previously mentioned blonde had opened her mouth in what could only be described as a terrible ice-breaker.

His own team responded with a mixture of brief laughter and coughs, his own partner trying to ward off any possibility of being assigned that title any further while Nora claimed to only be referred to as such from that point further; he tuned out the brief chatter with a hoarse chuckle, allowing his gaze to roam over the four.

The black haired mystery sat on the far left, eyes drawn downwards and focused upon a rather thick book that rested upon her lap. Golden orbs peeking to roam over the entire group for brief moments at a time, some would claim that she was ignoring the entirety of the table; perhaps a shy student of sorts, though she seemed intently focused on including herself as possible.

Next was the white haired beauty, apparently the heiress to the Schnee name, one which had her eyes rested upon his own crimson haired partner. It wasn't strange at first, most younger students found it an experience to have a chance to speak with the dubbed 'champion' but he swore the younger girl hadn't blinked the entire time seated, and were those...Stars in her eyes?

He skipped over the fellow blonde of the table, her actions during the initiation and her nature of speaking already gave him a basic outline of her personality, instead his eyes rested upon the final member of the newfound team; the leader.

It was almost astounding how young she looked, the feeling tripled when he was informed that she was two years younger than her peers! An impressive feat to not to be mistaken, his own attendance was brought upon by the scrap of his teeth. The red headed girl seemed to be feeling under the weather at the moment, hood pulled over her head as she rested it upon the wooden table and let out sorrowful groans; she seemed chirpy enough during the initiation however, even accomplishing some notable attacks.

Team RWBY, one of the many teams formed during yesterdays ceremony and one of the most 'high expectations' to date. The entire point however, was the fact he still didn't fully understand why his own team were idly chatting with them.

Oh yeah, Ozpin and his damming ideas.

 _The voice of Glynda Goodwitch cleaved through the thick silence that spread across the room upon their arrival; arms folded within one another, body turning swiftly to face the general direction of the young adults. A woman who practically worshiped the finer rules, one who brought down swift misery upon those that break them._

 _She let them off lightly with only a few angered words, mostly at the expensive at the headmaster claiming that it wasn't too much of a hassle. The older woman didn't look to pleased but settled nonetheless, returning to that of a heated glare followed by silence; which seemed to only amuse the grey haired man even more._

 _"_ _Miss Adel, you may leave with your team now and return to your dorm, you already know your set task." Giving out with a lax expression, the Headmaster turned his attention away from the retreating team to that of his own. Ozpin seemed to wait until they were the only remaining students within the room, before resting a small caffeinated drink upon the desk; gifting the four students with a comforting smile._

 _"_ _I suppose congratulations are in order; it isn't an easy task claiming a spot to return for yet another year." A mixture of 'thank you sir' along with other pleasantries were whispered, his own featuring last; to which he waved them off. Taking another consumption of caffeine, he rested a soft frown upon the group._

 _"_ _Sadly, such celebrations will have to be cut short, as I have a task at hand for you all." Free hand moving to within the wooden desk, he revealed a small folder with a simple seal, tossing it upon the desk for it to rest. Neither grouped moved for a few seconds, he himself only moving because the Headmaster gave a subtle nod towards the sealed contents._

 _The three remaining members formed around him as he unsealed the document, tearing out several sheets of paper; spreading them across like a deck of cards for all to see. His assumptions were that of a Grimm incursion mission, perhaps a sort of rescue mission for a higher up, instead he was greeted with several pictures and information about four young girls._

 _Four young girls who had just been announced as a team a few days ago, if his eyes served correct._

 _Perhaps sensing the confusion resting within the team, the Headmaster lowered his mug once more as he turned to face the team of students. "This year has gifted us quite the potential bunch, much of it is ripe to be harvested and brought to use."_

 _It was obvious at first glance with the sheets that his gaze was glued on; a Schnee heiress, a mysterious girl with a broken past, a brawler with a gift for fighting...and a fifteen year old!? He ran along the printed lines once more to assure himself, once confirmed he raised his head to speak but instead got tuned out by the only other male member of his team._

 _"I mean no disrespect Headmaster, but isn't it unwise to submit such a young girl to this school; even with her encounter with Torchwick?" Skill alone would only get you so far, much of what you needed to survive Beacon and other academies were taught within the final year of lower schools, something she would do doubt miss out on._

 _"_ _None taken Mister Lie, instead you bring up a very valid point and it relates to the task at hand." The older man stood from the comfortable grasp off his chair, instead walking towards that of a large lunette window. "Although her skills are quite advanced, she does have much to learn; however, such skill would be wasted with peers her age, perhaps even discouraging aspiring hunters to abandon the lifestyle, no?"_

 _His words rung true throughout all of them, most of all the blonde adult that lead the group into conflict. Early childhood hadn't been a pleasant experience for the young child, seeing peers around him be drafted into training schools; himself being left alone to continue with a civilian lifestyle, it hurt seeing someone your own age surpass everything you could ever hope to achieve._

 _"Sir, can we please be told why we were called in here?" He was never the smartest of the group, but even he could feel the anticipation growing within the team, the Headmaster only seemed to smile even more fondly as the question was asked._

 _"It's quite simple Mister Arc, I wish you and your team to watch over this bunch for the remainder of your stay at Beacon...Something along the lines of a mentoring team, if you will?" He was smiling, the smug bastard, lips hovering just above the tip of the mug. He made it sound like a simple task, as if they were tasked with picking up lunch for the staff members, practically asking them to be teachers!_

 _"S-Sir, isn't that a bit much I-" He was silenced by the Headmaster raising his left hand in a quick notion, eyes boring deep into his own that burned the words that had begun to form in his throat. "Miss Adel and her own team have the same assignment with a different team, and I didn't get a compliant out of them…?"_

 _"_ _B-But we..Yes sir." You couldn't really deny a request from Ozpin himself, even if it seemed as if you had a matter of choice; unless a member had fallen critically ill or wounded, you were required to play along. Still it struck him as odd, great potential or not, there had never been a time where seniors had to become close with the new guys's; they never got a_ _kick-ass_ _team to show them the ropes!_

 _Ozpin wasn't telling the whole truth, you learned that fact around the third year of your stay at Beacon; the esteemed Headmaster only let you in on what you needed to know, nothing more. Pry too much and you got a combat class duel with Goodwitch._

 _"Shall we take our leave?" It was Pyrrha that spoke up this time, hand resting upon the the soft fabric that donned my shoulder. A simple nod was our only reply, with a soft mutter regarding the 'best of luck' during our assignment._

Even the following morning where they had been introduced to the young team, they were never fully informed on exactly what they were meant to mentor them in; everyone had a different style of fighting, experience couldn't be shared and his own partner was the closest they had to any form of instructor due to her nature.

His team had to discuss this more in depth before they screwed it up before the first term really began, last thing they all needed was the heiress to go crying to the Headmaster because of some misunderstood scenario.

"I'm sure you're all excited about the rest of the day; Grimm studies with the Professor can be-" He paused for a moment to roam over the correct words, tasting them on his tongue before he spoke."- Intriguing." The topic matter earned a few rounds of stifled laughter along with a pitying glance towards the first year team.

"Speaking of which, we won't take any more of your time." An excuse to leave the accursed dining hall was what he needed at the moment; as he stood he gestured towards his own team to follow suit with varying amount of pleasantries and goodbyes, Nora being extremely vocal on meeting up together before the end of the day.

As a group, they made their way towards the wooden frame of the door; waving a final farewell to the junior team.

* * *

"You think we annoyed them?" Her voice was toned down in the usual cheerfulness, instead watching the retreating form of the senior team known as JNPR with a wary gaze. She wanted to speak up more, perhaps even ask a few questions to her fellow leader about her problems but then Yang had to go say something embarrassing and well…

"Don't worry Rubes', they probably have other work to do besides babysitting us all day…~!" Said sister gave rested a hand upon her head, distorting her already muddled hair. She tried to put on a smile, but all that formed was that of a weak smirk.

Coming to a place like Beacon two years early was frightening enough, she was leaving behind her old gang back home and was tasked with not only becoming a successful Huntress, but making friends with people two years her senior.

Then the Headmaster explained that certain first year teams will be assigned mentors; not only that, but said mentors were only a few years above herself!? She wanted to make a good first impression, prove to people like them that she was worth being in the academy; instead she acted like a child that had been embarrassed by their parents.

Some first impression.

"-ored by _the_ Pyrrha Nikos; can you believe it!?" Seemingly, her own partner didn't share her despair, how lucky of her. The heiress seemed more excitable than the scythe wielder believed possible of the cold-hearted girl, clasping her hands together and gushing about her luck. The scythe user didn't fully understand the apparent revelation, but smile nonetheless.

Even the esteemed quiet Blake seemed curious at her antics, peering over her book to watch the Schnee with a morbid sense of curiosity. Jumping on the chance of the girl not being glued to her books, she practically curved round the table within a moment; staring into the golden orbs that were usually hidden.

"What did you think of them, Blake?" Said girl seemed stunned to be called into question, apprehensive even to some who looked closer. She seemed deep in thought for a moment, Ruby could only imagine the opinions the quiet girl would have on them; she seemed quite smart from previous encounters.

"They were alright, I suppose." Such insight and wisdom, the mysterious girl obviously knew no bounds of imagination. It seemed her own sister was along the same thought pattern, as she grabbed the dark haired girl into a loose headlock; whining about bringing down the mood as said strangled student desperately tried to pry her head away.

She still wasn't sure on what this new team was meant to help them with in the long term; their timetable had already been filled with various topics that would be taught by full-fledged Hunters no doubt, which begged to question the role of the senior team.

Every single member of each team used a variation of weaponry like no other; from technological genius, to the simple classics that still held up to this day, the idea of being trained in weaponry was out of the question then. A soft shake of her head rid the young student of such thoughts, instead turning her attention to the newly formed team.

Seeing them act like this vanquished the gloom that had resided within the heart of the young huntress, instead clasping the final sugary treat within her grasp and bringing it upon her lips; breaking it apart with a single tear. They weren't a real team yet; a lot of holes had to be filled before then, but if they could continue acting like this and have the support of their seniors?

Well, everything couldn't turn out too bad, could it?

* * *

"If I may inquire Headmaster, why were JNPR chosen for this task?"

Ozpin didn't seem surprised by the sudden question, if so, any trace was hidden behind a stern expression that continuously stared upon a select few papers. Still, his deputy raised a valid point and no doubt would persist in an answer if she didn't receive one.

"Although not the top-tier team in the year; they are all capable of outstanding feats of their own right" He turned to face the Deputy, brown orbs meeting green as they locked gazes. "They're teamwork is unmatched even by Miss Adele's own, who currently hold the rank of top."

There was another reason however, one which he felt reluctant to release even to someone as trusted as Glynda; by all means the information he received could very well be false and the need for drastic measures could be avoided.

He wouldn't place his students in harm's way because of lack of foresight.

The Queen was on the move once more, a furiously scribbled note regarding as such resting upon his desk with an impending weight. Miss Rose would be a valuable asset in the coming war, along with her team they could accomplish amazing feats.

The team as a whole, along with her sister one Cardinal, would be a devastating loss to the future of mankind if they were ruined early on in their career; thus came the idea that laid the protection of said students with their seniors. Assigning professional huntsmen or Professors to watch over individual teams would alert their presence even more, something that would gain them nothing.

There was perfectly nothing abnormal about a junior team becoming close with that of a senior one; no one would second doubt it for a second.

It was perfect.


End file.
